Tipperary County Council planning office has informed the HSE that it has “serious concerns” about it’s request for permission to demolish and remove the existing free-standing, single storey “gate lodge” building, at St. Patrick’s Hospital Cashel.
The planning application was lodged in March and the Planning office was due to give a decision yesterday.
The Council is now requesting further information from the HSE in order to make a decision on the application.
The HSE has been informed that the lodge is within the curtilage of a protected structure and that it is the policy of the Council to conserve and protect buildings, structures and sites contained in the Record of Protected Structures that are of special interest and that when considering proposals it will have regard to Architectural Heritage Protection.
The planning office says the demolition is being proposed in isolation from a comprehensive conservation-led masterplan for the buildings on the overall site.
The HSE is now asked to submit a detailed justification for the proposed demolition together with a Conservation-Led Assessment of the building.
The Council orders that the response be prepared by a Conservation Architect accredited at Grade 2 (or higher) by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RlAl).
The HSE has 6 months to respond to the request for further information.
The HSE is currently examining a site for suitability for a new 60 bed Community Nursing Unit in Cashel – this had originally been intended for construction at the St Patrick’s Hospital site – the HSE says the site available is too small for the planned unit and an alternative site must now be found in the town before the project can proceed.
